OAKLAND — An Oakland resident accused of murdering his neighbor has been transferred from jail to a mental health facility, where he could receive care indefinitely, court records show.
Anthony Lamont Woods Jr., 33, was arrested and later charged with killing Lajuan Andre Barnes over “perceived transgressions” on Sept. 24, 2020 on the 1400 block of 77th Avenue in East Oakland. But Woods’ case has been mired in concerns over his mental health almost from day one.
He is now at an Oakland mental health rehabilitation center after a jury found him eligible under a law that allows the state to indefinitely hold people who have mental health disorders and pending felony charges alleging violence, court records show.
Woods’ case has been in limbo since November 2020, when his own attorney declared a doubt about his mental competency. That triggered a legal proceeding, including evaluations by multiple doctors. He was certified mentally incompetent in September 2021; six months later, a judge authorized the involuntarily medication of Woods with antipsychotic drugs, court records show.
Then, in September, a judge found Woods to be “gravely disabled” and authorized his transfer from Santa Rita Jail to a medical facility.
The court is expected to receive periodic updates on Woods’ condition. The next hearing has been set for June 3, records show.
